The scoop trick for bowls that actually saves a rinse cycle

Honestly, I got tired of pre-rinsing my cereal bowls before loading them into the dishwasher. Every morning there was dried milk or oatmeal stuck in there and I'd have to scrub for a minute. Then I tried something dumb: I just put a scoop of baking soda in the bowl before loading it, right on top of the gunk. Ngl, it worked way better than I thought and I didn't have to rinse anything. The baking soda seems to break down the dried stuff during the wash cycle. Has anyone else tried using a powder like that to skip the pre-rinse step? I'm curious if cornstarch or something else works too.

3 comments

3 Comments

blake_bell293mo ago

Ha! My buddy tried that with cornstarch. Ended up with a weird glue situation in the bottom of his bowl. Never again he said.

lily_singh21mo ago

hugo_schmidt is actually onto something with the cocoa powder idea, I've seen people use it for baked on stuff in pans. But for a bowl with dried milk/egg, I'd just recommend warm water and a little dish soap left to soak for 10 minutes. Cornstarch is a disaster waiting to happen, your buddy is right to avoid it. baking soda is way better because it actually lifts the gunk instead of turning into a paste. cocoa powder might work but then you gotta wash off the chocolate residue, seems like extra work for no reason.

hugo_schmidt3mo ago

Yeah the "weird glue situation" @blake_bell29 mentioned is real, cornstarch definitely isn't the move. Baking soda is alkaline so it actually helps break down proteins in dried milk and egg, but cornstarch just absorbs moisture and turns into paste. I wonder if plain unsweetened cocoa powder would work since it's slightly acidic and might help cut through grease too.